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Sacramento Kings Blog ’ Category

The Sacramento Kings have recalled rookie forward Eric Moreland from the team’s NBA D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, it was announced today by General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

A 6-10, 218-pound forward from Oregon State, Moreland was assigned to the Bighorns on November 4 and played in two games for the Bighorns. Morleand totaled 30 points (.619 FG%, 13-21 FG, 4-10 FT), 26 rebounds, three assists, five steals and one block in 58 minutes in starting both games. He led the Bighorns in rebounding in both games, recording two double-doubles.

The Sacramento Kings are off to a solid 6-4 start this season, and have a core that appears to be worth keeping in tact. Forward Rudy Gay is averaging 22.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists through 10 games. Here’s News 10 ABC reporting that the Kings and Gay have agreed to remain together for years to come:

The Sacramento Kings and forward Rudy Gay have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $40 million that runs through the 2017-18 season, according to two league sources.

Both sources spoke to News10 on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly and because no official announcement from the team had been made.

The three-year deal includes a player option in the third year, allowing Gay to become a free agent should he desire to do so.

The National Basketball Association announced today that the Sacramento Kings have protested the team’s 111-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on November 13 at FedExForum.

The basis for the Kings’ protest is that Courtney Lee’s game-winning shot should have been disqualified as having been made after time expired.

Under the protest procedures in the NBA Constitution, Memphis and Sacramento each will have an opportunity to submit evidence in support of its position and the protest will be decided by December 2.

According to the Associated Press, “Memphis won 111-110 on Thursday on Courtney Lee’s last-second basket. The play was reviewed on the court by officials. They not only checked whether Lee got the shot off before the buzzer, but whether the Kings tipped the inbounds pass. That would have started the clock earlier, causing time to run out before Lee’s attempt.”

Guard Ben McLemore can jump high, play basketball, and do other things as well. He needs to shoot better, but has the potential to improve in that category. The Sacramento Kings appreciate this about him.

The Kings announced today they have picked up the 2015-16 option on McLemore’s contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

The first Israeli-born player to be selected by an NBA team and compete in the league, Casspi was originally tabbed by the Kings in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft. He has accrued averages of 7.7 points (.421 FG%, .352 3pt%, .667 FT%), 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 20.7 minutes per game in 327 career contests with three teams – Sacramento (2009-10 – 2010-11), Cleveland (2011-12 – 2012-13) and Houston (2013-14).

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on a Team USA player that recently took a nasty hit while playing in the World Cup:

Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay said he has a fracture in his jaw and a broken tooth, but he insists that won’t keep him off the court as Team USA plays Serbia in the gold medal game of the FIBA Basketball World Cup on Sunday.

Gay suffered the injuries after getting elbowed in the fourth quarter of Team USA’s 96-68 victory over Lithuania in the semifinals on Thursday night in Barcelona.

“I’ve got a fracture in my jaw, a broken tooth and am going to probably need a root canal,” Gay told USA Today Sports on Saturday. “The top is where I got hit. It’s painful. It’s uncomfortable, and it still bleeds, so I’ve got to continuously gargle. It is what it is, man.”

Tyler was acquired from New York on August 6, 2014, along with guard Wayne Ellington and the unencumbered rights to the Knicks’ 2016 second-round draft selection in exchange for forwards Quincy Acy and Travis Outlaw.

Tyler has accrued averages of 3.6 points (.450 FG%, .557 FT%) and 2.6 rebounds per contest in 80 career NBA games in three seasons with three teams – Golden State (2011-12 – 2012-13), Atlanta (2012-13) and New York (2013-14).

Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on some key Kings, who are currently with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup tournament:

Now Cousins and Gay are traveling throughout Spain, making a noticeable impact on the world’s biggest international basketball stage, an impact that, they both say, will translate to success back home in Sacramento. Team USA plays Mexico today in the first game of the round of 16. The championship game is Sept. 14.

Gay, acquired by the Kings from Toronto in December, said he couldn’t have asked for a better way to jell with his new teammate this offseason than playing together for Team USA.

“It’s huge for us because we’re practicing and working every day together,” Gay said after Team USA’s win over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. “And we’re learning with some of the best players in the world.”

Cousins, who is backing up NBA All-Star and 2012 Olympian Anthony Davis, agreed.

“It’s definitely good bonding time for us,” Cousins said Thursday. “And for camaraderie, too, because when you wear USA on your chest, you’re playing for something bigger than yourself.”

Ellington was acquired from New York on August 6, 2014, along with forward-center Jeremy Tyler and the unencumbered rights to the Knicks’ 2016 second-round draft selection in exchange for forwards Quincy Acy and Travis Outlaw.

DeMarcus Cousins had a big bag of ice on his right knee while he watched the end of practice Thursday. He briefly covered his face with a towel as trainers milled around his table next to the folded gym bleachers.

Just making it to the World Cup of Basketball is proving to be quite a chore for the U.S. national team.

Cousins was injured when he got tangled with Anthony Davis after both big men hit the floor going after a loose ball during a scrimmage. An MRI on Cousins’ knee showed no structural damage, and USA Basketball said the Sacramento Kings star was day to day.

The Sacramento Kings have signed center Sim Bhullar to a contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

It’s unclear how long Bhullar will remain with the Kings or if he’ll be able to stick around in the NBA, but at least he has a shot to prove himself.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bhullar becomes the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA team. The 7-foot-5, 360-pound center was a member of the Kings squad that captured the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League title in Las Vegas.

In his two seasons at New Mexico State, the Aggies standout averaged 10.2 points (.633 FG%, .496 FT%), 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.9 blocks and 25.3 minutes per game in 65 career games. Bhullar was a two-time Western Athletic Conference Tournament MVP, helping the school reach the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014. As a freshman, he was named WAC Freshman of the Year after accruing averages of 10.1 points (.621 FG%, .465 FT%), 6.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 2.4 blocks and 24.4 minutes per game for the Aggies. He set a single-season school record for most blocked shots with 85 and his .621 field goal percentage ranked fourth on the NMSU single-season list and first in the WAC in 2012-13.

“I’ve long believed that India is the next great frontier for the NBA, and adding a talented player like Sim only underscores the exponential growth basketball has experienced in that nation,” said Kings Owner Vivek Ranadivé. “While Sim is the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA franchise, he represents one of many that will emerge from that region as the game continues to garner more attention and generate ever-increasing passion among a new generation of Indian fans.”

During the past NBA 2013-14 season, the Kings televised over 20 live games in India, launched a website in Hindi to connect with a rapidly growing Hindi-speaking fan base from around the world, sent the Sacramento Kings players and dancers to Mumbai, and signed the team’s first India-based sponsor.

Crews will be restriping J, L and Fifth streets, pushing traffic away from the site to give the project elbow room. Workers will erect 9-foot noise-dampening walls at key spots in the streets around the project in the next few days, allowing space for the first of up to 16,500 dump truck trips hauling demolition debris and dirt over the next few months. Tractors were being delivered to the site. Some demolition begins Friday.

Both J and L streets will maintain three lanes throughout the two-plus-year project. Crews, however, plan to take one northbound lane of Fifth Street where it dips under the mall to allow for truck access to the site. Several bus stops on L Street will be relocated to Capitol Mall in the next few days, and some portions of the J and L street sidewalks will be closed for the duration.

“That makes sure we have space outside the demolition zone for safety for the public,” said Matt Hiser, project supervisor with Turner Construction. “This is tight for Sacramento.”